Nearly 200 Dogs Turn Out For Annual ‘Mutt Strutt’

Baro, the Newtown Police Department’s German shepherd, demonstrated how he would charge in the event he would need to control a suspect.

Photo: Andrew Gorosko

Nearly 200 dogs participated in a dog walk at the Fairfield Hills campus on Saturday, May 18, as part of the 4th Annual Strutt Your Mutt fundraising event.

All things canine were on display and celebrated Saturday, May 18, at Fairfield Hills as the town staged the 4th Annual Strutt Your Mutt event at the sprawling campus, providing dog owners with recreational activities keyed to their pets.

The centerpiece of the family-oriented event was a dog walk during which dog owners marched across the lush campus with their leashed pets, following a course marked by giant white paw prints that had been painted on the ground. About 190 dogs participated in the walk.

Strutt Your Mutt was staged on a roadblocked Simpson Street and the adjacent dense lawns, which lie between Newtown Municipal Center and Canaan House.

The town Parks and Recreation Department and The Friends of Newtown Park & Bark sponsored the event, which is s fundraiser for the town’s planned off-leash dog park. To participate in the walk, dog owners contributed $5 to register their canines

The dog park, which is planned for the area near the new municipal dog pound at Fairfield Hills, is slated to open by late fall.

At Strutt Your Mutt, various contests, a canine agility course, dog demonstrations, nail clipping, and a raffle were held. Ask The Vet, a new feature of Strutt Your Mutt, allowed dog owners to learn about their dogs’ health. Twenty-four vendors attended, with their displays arrayed along Simpson Street.

Officer Felicia Figol, the Newtown Police Department’s dog handler, and Officer Matthew Hayes, who acted as a decoy, demonstrated their work with Baro, the department’s German shepherd.

Parks and Recreation Director Amy Mangold said this week she appreciates the work done by volunteers to stage the Strutt Your Mutt event.

RoseAnn Reggiano, recreation supervisor, said that the event raised more than $2,000 toward construction of the off-leash dog park.

Of the hundreds of people who attended, she said, “Everybody was happy, having a great time.”

Ms Reggiano likened Strutt Your Mutt to a dog/family fair.

Strutt Your Mutt will be held annually at the dog park after it opens, Ms Reggiano said.